Focus
by Macx
Summary: A winter day at the mansion. Shadowside 'verse fic.


TITLE: Focus  
>AUTHOR: Macx<br>SERIES: Shadowside  
>RATING: R to mild NC-17<br>DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)  
>FEEDBACK: Loved<br>SUMMARY: A winter day at the mansion.

x x x x x

Snow whirled around him, a intricate dance of small flocks of white against a blue sky. The sun was shining, but it was cold. Crispy cold. Charles' breath formed clouds in front of his face. His skin was flushed. Wrapped up in a thick coat, an equally thick knit scarf, hands in gloves and a knit hat on his head he looked like a walking ad for Arctic expeditions. A wide smile was on his face as he watched the snow, his eyes shining.

Erik felt something run through him, something powerful and warm. He was equally wrapped up, standing ankle-deep in snow. Charles was turning around and around, grinning more.

"This is wonderful!"

Erik chuckled. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's impressive."

Snow had settled on Charles' hat, the shoulders, clinging to the woolen coat and the scarf and just about everywhere. Around them, the children were having a snow ball fight and two of them were trying to build a snowman.

"It's more than that, Erik. It's amazing and beautiful. She has only just realized a small fraction of her powers." Charles was glowing with appreciation and the pride of a parent.

The one he was talking about was just a few feet away, arms outstretched, calling to the power of Mother Nature. Ororo Munroe looked the part of weather goddess right now, her white hair flowing in a slight wind, her eyes a sheer white as well. She was smiling, amazed herself by what she was doing. It had been Charles' idea to go out and use the arrival of winter to try her abilities. While Ororo had a good grasp of wind manipulation, the finer nuances still escaped her. Generating snow was one of them. And with the wintry temperatures it was a good first lesson.

Riptide wasn't too far away from her, sharp eyes on his pupil, watching every twitch. While he was unable to create any other natural force than wind, he was a mutant who worked the elements and Charles knew he understood the young woman best.

Ororo had been hard pressed at first to get the clouds to release snow. She had managed a few flakes, but had failed again and again. Charles had given her time, hadn't intervened or influenced her, and after a while things had gotten more… fluid. Well, rain was a fluid and Ororo had first made it rain. But that had suddenly changed to snow and now they were in the middle of a snowfield.

Erik walked over to his partner, smiling at the glow around the smaller man. Charles took such pride, such delight, in every success of his students. He was with them one hundred and ten percent. He gave them what they needed and their growing success was more than he had ever hoped.

"It's amazing," Erik now said softly, slipping an arm around his waist.

Charles grinned, face red from the cold, eyes shining, the blue even deeper than normal. Erik felt the anchor bond vibrate with the emotions of his lover, felt himself reflect them, and when he leaned down to kiss those red lips, he wasn't even conscious of the many young eyes around them. Charles responded warmly, let himself be drawn closer.

A whoot-whoot had Erik draw back slowly, grinning as he discovered a few of the students cheering at them, laughing, winking. He raised an eyebrow to dare them to say anything, but they just went back to their activities.

Riptide smirked, then said something to Ororo, who laughed and nodded. She made an elegant gesture with her right hand and a whirl of snow dumped more white flakes onto the ground, much to the delight of the snowman builders. Someone had already gotten cross-country skis.

Charles leaned into the solid form of his lover, his arm around Erik's waist, snuggling in for warmth.

::Inside?:: Erik asked.

::No. It's not that cold.::

So they stayed, in each other's embrace, enjoying the wintery landscape. When Ororo started to feel tired, Charles told her to stop.

"You did incredibly well, Ororo," he lauded. "You have learned fast."

His pride was visible and the young woman blushed. "I haven't really done anything complicated."

"You went from rain to snow. I call that complicated. You achieved something powerful today, Ororo."

And one day she would be able to call snow in the middle of summer. He knew she could do it. She was just at the beginning.

"Shall I melt it?" she wanted to know.

Charles laughed. "And deprive everyone else of this much fun? No, leave the snow. We're at the beginning of a snow front anyway. In a few more days this will be what we have to face every day."

Ororo nodded, still glowing with the pride she felt at Charles' words. Erik smiled, aware of so much coming from Charles.

They found their way back into the mansion after another half hour in the snow, watching some of the children use their own gifts, even if it was only to have fun. Blu was chasing another shapeshifter through snow high enough only their ears peaked out. The boy was a fox shifter, something legend in his country had called kitsune, and he was just now getting used to openly displaying his abilities. He still retained some outward signs when he was bipedal again, like different eyes and a bushy tail that he couldn't make disappear. When they had discovered the boy in a circus, Charles had been outraged by his treatment. Just lately Eugene had come out of his shell and since Blu was a shapeshifter as well, he had taken over fostering the shy kitsune.

Charles stomped his feet to get the excess snow off his boots, skin red and cold, eyes blue and alight. Erik couldn't but lean down and capture him in another kiss that threatened to get out of control as he pushed his hands underneath the half open coat, feeling warmth and softness, feeling Charles' response. When he found hot skin, Charles yelped as cold fingers caressed him.

"Whoa, you two, get a room!"

Alex gave them a dark look as he stomped inside, covered in snow from head to toe. Sean, grinning like a madman, followed. He looked half as snowed in and had most likely won the snowball fight.

"We should," Erik murmured, playfully nipping at one ear.

"Erik," Charles chided, though the faint ripple of arousal was hard to miss.

"They know about the birds and bees, Charles. They also know about us. I don't give a rat's ass about them seeing us kiss."

"As long as that's all they will see," was the amused reply.

He kissed him again and Charles didn't push him away; he actually melted into the contact, his mind entwining with Erik's in an almost sinfully erotic way. It got the other mutant hot and bothered faster than he would want to admit. For all their physical activities, Erik had to confess that mind sex was even hotter.

::It's not mind sex:: Charles objected softly, peeling out of his coat.

Erik wasn't helping, he knew, still kissing and nipping and wanting to see more of his lover.

"Uh, scarred for life," came a comment and both men drew back, laughing.

Raven looked balefully at them. "Room. Now, Charles."

He laughed more, lightly blushing, and Erik winked at Raven. She snorted, but she did look rather amused.

::We don't have mind sex:: the telepath continued his argument.

::Then what do you call it?::

::A meeting of minds::

Erik laughed out loud again. "Really, Charles?"

Charles glared briefly, then took off his wet shoes. He went up the stairs on socked feet and Erik hurried after him, still grinning. And no, he wasn't eying his lover's ass. Then again, maybe he did. Because he had plans for that ass and Charles was pretty much aware of it. From the hot blush suddenly racing over his skin he had caught more than just a little of what Erik was planning.

"Didn't you once say that the brain is a sexy organ?" Erik teased when they were upstairs.

"Well, yes, but…"

"And I love your brain, Charles. Very much. I love what it can do."

The blue eyes were dark and deep and filled with arousal. Erik knew that they were kissing and fondling like teenagers as they stumbled toward their room. The door opened automatically and he felt the metal sing to him, felt every little piece of it in the room, and the locking of the door was almost an afterthought as he was already busy getting his lover out of his clothes. He wanted skin, he wanted it now, and he wanted this man completely and badly and in every possible way. Charles moaned softly as Erik projected every detail of what he planned to do.

The telepath bestowed a kiss on his lips, deepening it, threading his fingers into the dark hair and holding him close. The kiss was slow and hot, but the softness soon made way for a small war of dominance, as each plundered the other's mouth, wanting, needing, demanding more.

They landed on the bed and Erik was busy kissing a wet path down Charles' chest toward a nipple. Charles buried his fingers in the dark hair when teeth gently scraped over the sensitive nub.

Erik looked up, breathless by the sheer sight of his lover. Four years and he didn't feel any less for this man. Hair tousled, face flushed, Charles looked a lot younger than his years and not the least bit like the professor the children knew. The need and love and protectiveness Erik always felt was overpowering, overwhelming, and it had shocked him the first times. Charles was his. He was a possessive bastard, he knew, and he would never share this man with anyone. Charles was part of his soul and belonged to him, just like he belonged completely to Charles.

::I love you:: he thought. ::So much::

The metal around him vibrated with the intensity of his feelings and Charles smiled down at him. The smile transformed into a moan of delight when Erik wrapped his mouth around him, took him deep, long fingers caressing his skin, digging into his hips, holding him down. Charles bucked, wanted more, silently begging, but Erik didn't let himself get pushed. He grinned to himself as the other mutant became more and more undone.

::Only the beginning:: he teased, showing Charles what he wanted to do.

Charles nearly came from the images alone, whining deep in his throat.

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When Erik woke, he was surprised to find that he was alone in bed. Had he really drifted off in such a deep sleep that he hadn't heard Charles leave? Apparently. He looked around the bedroom, then smiled as he heard the shower. It turned off just a minute later and the metalbender leaned back to wait. He wasn't disappointed as his lover walked into the room, a towel wrapped around his lean hips.

"Hello, sleepy head," Charles teased as he walked over and sat down on the mattress to get a kiss. "You looked so cute. Didn't want to wake you."

"Cute?" Erik sputtered.

Charles grinned widely. "Yep."

"I'm not cute," Erik growled.

"Oh, you are, my lover," Charles murmured and let his tongue lick over Erik's lips. "Very."

Erik grabbed and flipped him onto the bed. Sitting on his thighs, he gave the other a predatory grin.

"Cute," he growled, placing his hands left and right of the damp head.

Charles started to laugh. "Yes."

"I've been called a lot of things, but never cute."

"Then it's about time."

Charles wrapped a hand around Erik's neck and pulled him down to kiss him.

"Cute and mine," he purred. "All mine."

"All yours," Erik whispered, savoring the close proximity of the freshly showered man. "So, what were your plans for this weekend?" he asked.

::Aside from not leaving this bed for a long, long time?:: Charles murmured, nuzzling his neck.

"Ah-hmmm, yes," Erik sighed.

::Well, I thought about it and always got stuck on making long, slow love to you…::

"Sounds good," Erik moaned as Charles's fingers played with a nipple.

"I thought you'd like it."


End file.
